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Premier League Opening Week Picks & Odds

The new EPL football season is almost upon us and while there are still ducks to be dived in the transfer market you can get your bets in early and get ready to see your winnings roll in.

The season starts on Saturday, 16 August 2014, and will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2015, but as that’s far away, why not invest some money in winning some money on the EPL 2014-15 season early doors? It needs to be said (to give us all a sense of who is fancied by the bookies), that Chelsea at the shortest odds for winning the EPL nest season at 19/10. Second best are Man City at 12/5, and then it’s Man Utd third favourite to win the EPL in the 2014-15 season at 11/2.

Enough with the prospective champions…WHERE’S THE MONEY MIKE?
There’s the big four in the EPL and your Humble Handicapper knows that they will all want to get off to a good EPL start, especially as last season was such a tight one.

The first match of the new season is Man Utd V Swansea on Saturday at 12h45. You might think that one of the big sides will mess up, and the one with the new manager might be the best bet, however Man Utd (and their manager) are too big a side to be troubled by Swansea (a side who are 5/1 (and 8th favourite) to be relegated. Bet on Man Utd winning at 2/5.

Man City travel to Newcastle on the first Sunday, and they will likely walk all over the Geordies, so bet accordingly at 8/13, and City to win both halves at 6/4. It’s also worth backing Man City to win to nil at 2/1.

Oh to be on Merseyside
Both Merseyside sides to win their opening matches is worth bet. Liverpool are at home to Southampton and Everton are away, to recently promoted Leicester. Backing both Liverpool and Everton is available at 5/2, and is a decent bet. Especially as the shortest correct score odds on a Liverpool win are at 6/1 for 2-0 and Everton beating Leicester 2-1 is at 7/1. In fact Liverpool look to be the safest of safe bets to beat Southampton (a club that they have pillaged to build their dreams on) as the bookies have a home win at 2-0, 1-0 and 2-1 before they entertain a draw, 1-1 at 19/2. They also have Liverpool winning 4-0 (at 16/1) before they like a Saints win, 1-0 to Southampton is at 22/1.

New dawns in Manchester?
Man Utd and Man City both winning on the opening day is at 6/4, a very safe bet.

Don’t back all six sides who finished in the top six to win on their opening day even at 20/1. The odds are tempting but a six way bet leaves too much to chance, especially when it involves Spurs.

The fact that Spurs are away to West Ham is probably the biggest reason that the above bet is at such odds.

All three “big” London Clubs winning on the opening day is offered up at 7/2, and when you consider Chelsea are away to Burnley and Arsenal are at home to Crystal Palace, Spurs are the reason that this won’t happen. Spurs are 8/1 to be the top London club, and for that reason alone (although there are others out there) your Humble Handicapper won’t be backing them to win their opening game even at 5/4. Spurs are a cheeky 8/1 to be top of the 2nd of September, but I just don’t fancy Spurs to be quick out the blocks this season.

Spurs may be 4/7 on a top six finish, but that’s just because after the first five there’s a real big drop off, I expect that to be reflected in the opening days’ results.

Free Soccer Prediction: Wins for the big six teams of the Premier League, just not all of them….